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Australian election 2016: changes to superannuation 'fair and well targeted', Turnbull says – politics live
Australian election 2016: changes to superannuation 'fair and well targeted', Turnbull says – politics live
(35 minutes later)
1.45am BST
01:45
Bill Shorten is asked about the Peris replacement. He says Labor is working through the processes.
Because there is only six weeks before the election, he does not countenance a suggestion that the Northern Territory Labor branch should pick the candidate - given the controversy over Peris’ parachuting into the spot.
Asked whether he would like to see an Indigenous woman candidate, Shorten says he would like to see “the best candidate”.
1.40am BST
01:40
Bill Shorten is speaking now about the importance of research for ovarian cancer. He is announcing $8m for support and research.
1.39am BST
01:39
Currie says she did not receive support from the party. Here are some excerpts from the ABC Illawarra interview.
RHEINBERGER: Did you get resistance from the local Liberal branches?
CURRIE: Yes, yes absolutely.
RHEINBERGER: Well, what happened?
CURRIE: They don’t want it; they didn’t want a candidate to nominate in the first place.
RHEINBERGER: What, they didn’t want a candidate in the first place, it wasn’t about you, and they didn’t want any candidate running?
CURRIE: They didn’t want a Liberal party candidate. I was told quite clearly that there although there might be a number of people who are not official members of the Liberal party but would help me; the official members of the Liberal party members would not! In fact possibly do the opposite.
Then later:
RHEINBURGER: Okay, how did you get the message that they didn’t want to run a candidate at all, let alone you, who told you that?
CURRIE: They told me!
RHEINBURGER: Who told you that?
CURRIE: I can’t disclose confidential inside information, However -
RHEINBURGER: Was it a vote of a branch, a particular person within the Liberal party in the Illawarra?
CURRIE: No look, you’re probably going to lead to my expulsion, very shortly. It was actually what they call and FEC meeting – FEC is the Federal Electoral Conference and I was informed by a number of people, mainly females, that they did not want a candidate at all.
RHEINBURGER: How did it get that far and to the point where you have to resign?
CURRIE: I was installed over the heads of state exec, which happens the same as Trades Hall Labor Party. That where you have problems within a branch the central body will endorse the candidate. Then all the branches have to fall behind him. I can’t say more at this point time. I have done the right thing by my party, by country, by this area.
RHEINBURGER: Are you relieved?
CURRIE: I can’t do anymore? Goodbye.
1.30am BST
01:30
Liberal candidate gives Coalition Currie, seat needs an independent or Green
Carolyn Currie:
It needs a very, very strong person who can unite a number of people to preserve it – possibly an independent, possibly a Green. But somebody with a lot of leverage in what looks like being a very divided government on a knife edge. To be able to instrumentalise the best outcomes for this area. I cannot offer that and meanwhile I don’t believe that I need to be a sacrificial lamb, travelling a number of steep inclines that have yet to be fixed.
Updated
at 1.44am BST
1.28am BST
01:28
I am a general with no troops: Liberal candidate withdraws
Here is Carolyn Currie, Liberal candidate, withdrawing from a very short race in the safe Labor seat of Whitlam (formerly Thorsby).
I’ve come to the decision to withdraw. I’ve encountered some remarkable geographic locations; it is an area that needs a remarkable person who can drive vast distances up a number of inclines. It also needs someone who can unite a couple of very disparate groups. Now at the moment there are no Liberal party branches in the Illawarra and there are only three in the Highlands. Therefore I am like a general with no troops. It is very difficult for me to mount any sort of reasonable campaign with no troops, as any general would know. This is a remarkable area; it needs quite a unique person to represent the disparate groups.
1.24am BST
01:24
Here is a little bit of Currie from a couple of weeks ago on ABC Illawarra.
I’m Dr Carolyn Currie, I’m 66, I’m still working – unfortunately I can’t work in the preferred area that I would like to live in, which is the Highlands, but I have a home there. I bought a beautiful place in Bundanoon which was the old police station, the old electoral office, the savings bank etc and it was set up by a local family because of the fights and disorder that break out between timber merchants, railway workers and miners.
I’ve been going to that area since I was a child because my uncle was the MLC for the area and his wife was my aunt. They had a dairy farm so I used to spend a lot of time in the Southern Highlands as well as in what I call the “lowlands” because we used to holiday down there and I married a boy from the Gong ... my fifth degree was from the ‘Gong in forensic accounting. I just love the area and my motivation for standing is that I do not want to see the water resources of that area depleted and I believe it is a federal issue when water is affected by coal-mining and inappropriate coal-mining in certain areas.
Updated
at 1.44am BST
1.19am BST
01:19
While I’m chasing that, tell me if this makes you feel warm and fuzzy. I note they have a big CHANGE which will frighten the Nats no end.
If we embrace the future with confidence and a clear plan then we will succeed like we have never succeeded beforehttps://t.co/OJjtrb88HM
1.17am BST
01:17
I am just chasing down the spectacular interview by Carolyn Currie, a Mosman-based, former merchant banker candidate who only announced her candidacy two weeks ago.
1.15am BST
01:15
Liberal candidate for NSW seat of Whitlam, Dr Carolyn Currie, has quit.She told ABC she's like "a candidate with no troops" #ausvotes
1.11am BST
1.11am BST
01:11
01:11
Bill Shorten has morning tea with family and survivors of ovarian cancer in Melb. @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/xrXkcsyXli
Bill Shorten has morning tea with family and survivors of ovarian cancer in Melb. @gabriellechan @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/xrXkcsyXli
1.05am BST
1.05am BST
01:05
01:05
This is kinda brilliant. Finance minister Mathias Cormann is a machine as campaign spokesman. He rarely strays from the daily lines as was made clear Lenore and Katharine’s podcast. But here he is praising Bill Shorten to the heavens.
This is kinda brilliant. The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, is a machine as campaign spokesman. He rarely strays from the daily lines as was made clear Lenore and Katharine’s podcast. But here he is praising Bill Shorten to the heavens.
LOTO @billshortenmp gets some unintended compliments from @MathiasCormann https://t.co/jDAmNB3OQ7 #ausvoteshttps://t.co/MT6J3vlQem
LOTO @billshortenmp gets some unintended compliments from @MathiasCormann https://t.co/jDAmNB3OQ7 #ausvoteshttps://t.co/MT6J3vlQem
1.02am BST
01:02
Barnaby Joyce has been in his electorate of New England to announce the dairy package. He says there are no systemic problems in the dairy industry.
This whole thing started because Murray Goulburn, the co-op, dropped its price for milk. Because the contracts run on a financial year, this meant the price is enforced retrospectively, which means farmers need to repay from their monthly income from July last year. This is quite unusual, having been done only once during the global financial crisis and once some 35 years ago. Farmers I spoke to last week told me, on average, they will have to repay more than $100,000 over the year.
Joyce as agriculture minister has announced $600m towards a dairy package. This is made up of:
We have to do things so, at the end of the day, you are not just left with a bad memory but also something tactile.
Updated
Updated
at 1.08am BST
at 1.37am BST
12.36am BST
00:36
Nova Peris’ resignation from the ALP Senate ticket for the Northern Territory raised a few eyebrows in the party. Not only was the decision a shock but the timing was inopportune for Bill Shorten, who was caught on the hop.
National executive will now look for a replacement.
The Indigenous NT politician Malarndirri McCarthy has thrown her hat in this morning with this statement. Note, as a journalist, McCarthy covered Peris’ entry to parliament.
STATEMENT ON NOMINATION FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY SENATE CANDIDATURE
Senator Nova Peris OAM holds an important place in Australia’s history as the first Aboriginal woman elected to the commonwealth parliament; and the first Aboriginal Labor member in federal parliament. I will always remember covering the story as a journalist on that historic day as Nova entered the parliament, and the privilege of speaking with Nova and her family.
Since Senator Peris announced her decision to not re-contest her seat, I have been contacted by friends and family asking me to consider nominating to be a Labor candidate for the Senate.
As a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola in the Northern Territory, I have a deep passion for pursuing a better way of life for all Territorians.
Between 2005 and 2012, I had the privilege of representing Territorians in the legislative assembly.
As the Labor member for Arnhem and as a minister in the Labor government, I was proud to serve our Territory.
As a journalist before and after my time in the legislative assembly, I have also had the opportunity to present the stories and experiences of voiceless Territorians and Indigenous Australians to the broader community.
It is with a passion to continue this work that I accept the invitation to nominate for the vacant position as Labor Senate candidate.
I thank Territory Labor members and the Shorten Labor opposition for considering me for this role.
If I receive the nomination and am elected to the Senate, I will be a fierce advocate for the Territory and Indigenous Australians in a Shorten Labor government.
Given there is an internal party process now under way, I will be making no further media comment at this time.
Updated
at 12.49am BST
12.14am BST
00:14
Barnaby Joyce continues to get free publicity from Johnny Depp. His obsession with the Nationals leader knows no bounds. He was speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, doing the straight faced delivery on the “badness of my ways”.
Says Jimmy,
Isn’t it heartening in a way to know that we’re not the only dumb country, though. To find out it’s not just us doing stupid stuff, that Australia can make up it seems like one guy in Australia made a big deal out of this. Barnaby Joyce is the guy’s name.
Says Depp,
Barnaby Jones...He looks somehow like inbred with a tomato.
Says Joyce,
I’m turning into Johnny Depp’s Hannibal Lecter, I’m inside his head, I’m pulling strings and levers. Long after I’ve forgotten Mr Depp, he is remembering me. Keep on advertising me Johnny. The Australian people know we did the right thing. When I walk around the streets of Tamworth or the streets of Bundaberg or Martin Place in Sydney, whether they like me or not, they say well, don’t completely like you but you were right on that one. We can’t have rabies coming into the country. Who does the fella think he was?
Apart from the disturbing image of a Joycean version of Hannibal Lecter, I fail to see Jimmy’s view that somehow biosecurity laws are dumb. Or the flip side, that because you are a movie star, laws don’t apply.
This story has more sequels than Pirates of the Carribean.
11.56pm BST
23:56
If you are still interested in black holes, Gareth Hutchens has done a handy fact check on the numbers.
11.51pm BST
23:51
Good morning,
Today heralds the end of the cold war between the king of the shock jocks Alan Jones and Malcolm Turnbull, the man who had the temerity to knock him back a few pegs in 2014, after Tony Abbott’s first budget.
At that time, Jones told Malcolm Turnbull he “had no hope of ever being the leader, you have got to get that into your head”.
The record shows Turnbull did not get that into his head. Peta Credlin recently said in her new role as commentator on Sky that the PM could not win an election without talking to the likes of Alan Jones and Ray Hadley because they speak to the Coalition’s base.
Liberals on the moderate end of the spectrum have disputed that call to me. They don’t think it is as necessary as everyone makes out. Nevertheless, it was a job that needed to be done, a bit like going to the dentist. This morning, it was carried out in a workmanlike fashion.
Both men were on their best behaviour, careful not to rile the other. By the end, there was very little to report.
Elsewhere in the campaign universe, Turnbull will carry on his tour of Victoria. He has some announceables worth up to $20m for tourism infrastructure in the Dandenongs, which happens to be in the seat of Bruce. It includes $6.5m for the Puffing Billy railway.
The Labor MP and Rudd numbers man Alan Griffin is the retiring MP in that seat with a margin of 1.8%. In his recent valedictory, he likened retirement from parliament to release from prison – a bit like the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
The government’s announcement is to highlight the fact that tourism is about to overtake coal as our second-biggest export, after iron ore. China is driving the increase, with 1m Chinese tourists visiting Australia last year.
Bill Shorten is announcing $8m for ovarian cancer research before heading to Darwin. He has @mpbowers in tow.
There is a regional leaders debate tonight with Barnaby Joyce, Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon and the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale.
You can talk to me in the thread below, on the Twits @gabriellechan or at my Facebook page.
Updated
at 12.07am BST
11.32pm BST
23:32
Thanks for joining me, Melissa Davey, this morning. I’m handing you over to Gabrielle Chan in Canberra now.
I’ll leave you with this piece from Fairfax, which says there is trouble brewing in Warringah:
Tony Abbott’s campaign in the Sydney stronghold of Warringah has succumbed to bitter infighting as rank-and-file Liberals complain over strategy and position for “life-after-Abbott”, tipping the former prime minister will quit if left off Malcolm Turnbull’s post-election frontbench”.
Despite his public statements to the contrary, many local Liberals expect Mr Abbott to move on after the election. A popular theory is that he will be offered a prominent diplomatic post such as Australia’s high commissioner to London.
See you at 6am tomorrow.
Updated
at 11.47pm BST
11.24pm BST
23:24
The Coalition have just issued a press release detailing its support for Australian dairy farmers who have had their incomes retrospectively cut by dairy processors Murray-Goulburn and Fonterra.
Deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce said the Coalition will deliver immediate assistance.
The key elements of the support package include: $555 million in dairy recovery concessional loans, $20 million to fast track the upgrade of the Macalister irrigation district, $2 million to establish a commodity milk price index, $900,000 for an additional nine rural financial counsellors in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales, and $900,000 for Dairy Australia’s ‘Tactics for Tight Times’ program.
Household allowance applications will also be fast-tracked, with 18 more department of human services employees processing claims. A dairy industry liaison officer has been appointed, and two department of human services mobile service centres will be redirected to dairy regions.
Minister for human services, Alan Tudge says:
Where a farmer is facing real hardship and we have received the full details, a decision can be made almost immediately. If there is any difficulty obtaining the information we need to assess a claim, Farm Household Case Officers can talk to the farmer’s accountant or financial adviser to help get the information needed.
The announcement comes ahead of a debate on regional issues tonight between Joyce, Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Labor’s agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon.
Updated
at 11.34pm BST
11.15pm BST
23:15
A bit more on that interview of Turnbull by Alan Jones earlier this morning.
Turnbull has refused to talk to Jones since an on-air stoush two years ago. During that interview, Jones grilled Turnbull about his support for an Abbott-Hockey leadership. Turnbull replied: “Alan, I’m not going to take dictation from you.”
Jones was not impressed, firing back: “You’ve no hope of being the leader — you’ve got to get that into your head”.
News Ltd asks whether poor polling this week was behind Turnbull’s decision to appear on the 2GB program today.
A media expert has told news.com.au, the early morning chat has less to do with two finding common ground and everything to do with the man dubbed “Mr Harbourside Mansion” failing to connect with voters in more humble abodes whose tick of approval will be crucial if Turnbull hopes to win the July 2 federal election.
Jones opened this morning’s interview with a disclaimer:
For those of you expecting some kind of brawl, forget it. Won’t happen. This is an election campaign and it is a very serious matter. I will be focusing in this interview, as I always do, on policy.
#politicslive has been up since the wee hours, with @MelissaLDavey Latest: Alan Jones and PM kiss and make up https://t.co/O0HqkQqtlC
Updated
at 11.18pm BST
11.04pm BST
23:04
More on the package for dairy farmers being announced by the deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce, today. He’s just spoken to the ABC’s AM program and says the package will include access to concessional loans at the cheapest rates possible, and welfare payments of up to $1000 a fortnight.
BREAKING: Barnaby_Joyce announces $550m in concessional loans for dairy farmers at 2.66% interest rate from 1 August #ausvotes @abcnews
Updated
at 11.04pm BST
10.58pm BST
22:58
To the front pages, courtesy of Guardian Australia’s audience editor, Dave Earley:
The Financial Review reports that outgoing Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens has “warned the bickering political parties that whichever side wins the federal election will face years of hard decisions if they carry through on promises to repair the budget”.
Financial Review front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @FinancialReview #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/92F3dFzMCV
The Labor senator Stephen Conroy has formally claimed parliamentary privilege on documents seized from his Melbourne office and a staffer’s home in last Thursday’s NBN raids, The ABC says:
Senator Conroy demanded the documents seized from the two premises be sealed and delivered to the Senate in Canberra.
“I will write to the clerk of the Senate, Dr Rosemary Laing, to commence an action to seek a ruling from the Senate on the claim,” Senator Conroy wrote.
“I expect the seized items to remain in the Clerk’s possession until the Senate rules on my privilege claim.”
ABC News front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @abcnews #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/8jePza9jt2
And in the Courier Mail: lawyers from Heritage Bank have accused the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, of breaching consumer law by using their “people first” trademark. They have have threatened to begin court proceedings as soon as 4pm today if the ALP doesn’t stop using it, the report says:
But Labor has rejected demands to stop using its “putting people first” slogan and pointed out the bank has close ties to the Liberal National party in Queensland.
Heritage Bank donated more than $10,000 to the LNP in 2014 and the bank’s head of banking operations, David Janetzki, is running as the party’s candidate for the byelection in the state seat of Toowoomba South.
The Courier-Mail front page. Wednesday 25 May 2016. @couriermail #ausvotes #election2016 #auspol pic.twitter.com/yY4RikJ9kz
